4 Reasons Why ‘Inferno’ Flamed Out at the Box Office

The third installment in “The Da Vinci Code” series is not nearly as fiery among moviegoers as its title suggests.

Sony’s Columbia Pictures and Imagine Entertainment sequel “Inferno” opened soft over the weekend with an estimated $15 million in domestic box office receipts.

The only new widely released film in theaters, it came in shy of No. 1, falling behind second-weekend holdover Tyler Perry’s “Boo! A Madea Halloween” — which held strong at nearly $17 million. (Though Sony’s book-based sequel is performing nicely overseas, as it is close to hitting $150 million internationally.)

Trackers set the Ron Howard-directed movie starring Tom Hanks and Felicity Jones at $25 million domestically earlier last week — an optimistic forecast in retrospect.

So what went wrong?

1. There Was No Demand

Along the lines of Paramount’s “Jack Reacher” sequel that debuted to No. 2 last weekend, audiences weren’t clamoring for a followup to “Angels & Demons.” The sequel to “The Da Vinci Code” came out seven years ago and opened to $46.2 million. Too much time has passed since the last one to keep North American audiences hungry for more.

2. This Particular World Series Stole Some Spotlight

The longtime-losing Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians have captivated the public this weekend, said Jeff Bock, senior analyst at Exhibitor Relations. “There is a bit of truth to that distraction, however. The truth is, this movie series has run its course,” he told TheWrap. “The buck stops here.”

3. Halloween Has a Losing Box Office History

“‘Inferno’ dared to do something most films outside the horror genre find unfathomable — open on Halloween weekend,” said Bock. Traditionally, it is one of the slowest weekends in the calendar year. “Halloween is the death knell for new releases, which is why most studios don’t even bother,” added the analyst. “It’s the one weekend where people who don’t usually party all year actually partake in partying.”

4. It’s the Worst Reviewed of the Series

The movies based on Dan Brown’s popular books have never been well received by critics. “Angels & Demons” has a 37 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, while “The Da Vinci Code” earned only 25 percent among critics aggregated by the site. Still, it can’t help that “Inferno” has only a 20 percent score, with at least one reviewer deeming it “one of the worst movies of the year.”

Sony knew most of this going in, according to a source at the studio who spoke to TheWrap. The studio concentrated on building “Inferno” overseas, where the series has historically gained more than 70 percent of its box office grosses. The production budget was also slashed in half, compared to the series’ two prior releases, to accommodate the movie’s history of diminishing returns. But the source at Sony also admitted to facing “a few tough breaks” this go around.

The Evolution of Tom Hanks' Hair: From 'Bosom Buddies' to 'Da Vinci Code'

Tom Hanks' wavy mullet was something of an obsession for the actor as he embarked on the first installment in the "Da Vinci Code" series. In honor of the film's 10-year anniversary, take a look back at the Oscar winner's coif chronology.

Columbia Pictures

When Hanks wasn't showing off his real brown locks on the early 1980s sitcom "Bosom Buddies," he donned a woman's wig during his cross-dressing scenes with co-star Peter Scolari. (The ABC show revolved around two bachelors who dress as women in order to secure an affordable apartment.)

ABC/Paramount Television

Hanks' hair is his thing, dating back to his breakout film role in the hit 1984 romantic comedy "Splash." Just look at how Daryl Hannah (who played the mermaid Madison) is combing her fingers through it!

Disney

Apparently studio execs were banking on Hanks' curly mop: This publicity photo for the raunchy 1984 comedy "Bachelor Party" has another woman running her fingers through his locks.

Hanks' hair was slicked back in some scenes for the 1990 dramatic comedy "The Bonfire of the Vanities."

Warner Bros.

Hanks played a lawyer afflicted with HIV-AIDS in the 1993 drama "Philadelphia," for which he won his first Academy Award. And yes, his hair reflected such as he depicted various stages of his character's illness in the film.

TriStar Pictures

Hanks wore his hair closely cropped during most of 1994's "Forrest Gump," which won six Oscars, including the actor's second win in the Best Actor category.

Paramount Pictures

But he also wore a long-haired look, complete with impenetrable beard, during the the film's famous running sequence set in the 1970s.

Paramount Pictures

Who can forget Hanks' blonde permed look in the 2000 drama "Castaway" (in which he re-teamed with Zemeckis)?

20th Century Fox

His hair was styled quite fancifully in the 2004 Coen Brothers comedy "The Ladykillers."

Disney

To achieve the perfect coiffure for "The Da Vinci Code," Hanks thought really hard about it: "[I wanted it] fuller in the back and falling down across my forehead," he shared in a 2006 interview. "But the truth is my hair cannot be long and flowing -- genetically, it doesn't do that. It's a bush... We talked about a wig, but that ends up taking a huge amount of time. So I went to these guys who know about hair chemistry and found a way." Science.

Columbia Pictures

And the winner for most styles worn by Hanks in a single movie goes to: 2012's "Cloud Atlas."

Warner Bros.

When Hanks reprised his "Da Vinci" role as Robert Langdon for a third time in "Inferno" (in theaters Oct. 28), he ditched the party in the back, opting for a smoothed-out, shorter version. Good choice.

Columbia Pictures

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Celebrate the 10th anniversary of “The Da Vinci Code” with a stroll down memory mane

Tom Hanks' wavy mullet was something of an obsession for the actor as he embarked on the first installment in the "Da Vinci Code" series. In honor of the film's 10-year anniversary, take a look back at the Oscar winner's coif chronology.